The NBA’s new alpha dog Kevin Durant is cold-blooded (Rick James style)
Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder is announcing his arrival as the new Alpha Dog of the NBA. He choked out the defending champion Dallas Mavericks in the first round with late game heroics, and now he has his foot on the head of The Black Mamba. Dude is getting it done, and he’s doing it with a point guard that doesn’t pass. That’s gangster (OKC style).
Kevin Durant is the new Alpha Dog is the NBA for several reasons. First of all he’s the best shooter in the NBA. I know some dope out there will point to some metrics, and try to convince me that LeBron James is more efficient. However, when you consider the number of 3-point shots that Durant takes and makes opposed to James, there is no comparison. Durant can score at any place on the court, more efficiently than anyone else in the NBA.
Secondly Kevin has made his own lane (Kanye West style). There was no hype and hoopla when he came in the NBA. Any experts doubted that he would be strong enough to withstand a season. However, he has not only been able to withstand a season, but he has taken the heart out of his opponents in the process (Come Get Some style).
I have also noticed that Durant has started to lead his team defensively in the playoffs. During the 2nd round against the Lakers, Durant has been guarding Kobe Bryant. Now it must be said that at this point in his career Kobe has lost his explosiveness, so it’s easier to guard him. With that being said, I credit Kevin for stepping up, and guarding the best player on the other team. It’s a sign that says, “It’s my time now.”
By far the largest change in the Kevin Durant’s is ability to get his shot at the end of games. I can remember him struggling to even get open in the Conference Finals last year. And when he did receive the ball, he was too far away from the basket to be effective. I questioned his strength in a piece I wrote last year1. I thought he was lacking what it took to be a superstar on a championship team…I Was Wrong. Durant is now capable of getting where he wants to get at the end of the game. That has been evident by the way he’s delivered for the Thunder against the Mavericks and Lakers. And not only is he getting his shot, but he’s getting it in the paint.
The hardest thing to do in the NBA is to get your shot, at the end of the game in the paint. Because the opposing defense is playing at its highest level, and the number one goal is to make you take a tough shot. So when Durant gets in the paint and takes a floater over Pau Gasol, or takes an elbow jumper over Shawn Marion, That’s Cold-Blooded (Rick James style)2.
1. I actually kind of Destroyed Kevin Durant in that piece. I have uploaded that piece on Comedic Prose and you can read it here: Did You Fall For the NBA Okey-Doke?; Time For the NBA Finals, The Miami Heat vs. The Dallas Mavericks 2. The reference of “Rick James style” comes from the Rick James sketch Dave Chappelle did on Chappelle’s Show. After Chappelle (playing Rick James) punches Charlie Murphy he says, “That was Cold Blooded.”
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